Base-ball



SLDJOASTLE.

BASE BALL.

(Model.)

Patented July 17, 1883 din eases pm. Washington. 0

MPETEKHM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL D. CASTLE, or BRIDGEPORT, oomvnormur.

BASEI-BAL L.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 281,238, dated July 1'7, 1883.

Application filed May23,1883. (Modem To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, SAMUEL D. CASTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Base-Balls; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to balls, and has for its object to produce a ball which shall be more durable than any ball now in use, shall be free from seams and imperfections, and which may be produced at a much less expense than any ball now upon the market.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a ball having a seamless gutta-percha cover.

My invention also consists in a ball having a cover of gutta-percha deposited thereon by dipping in a. liquid solution of that material until the cover shall have attained the requisite thickness; and, finally, my invention consists in the process of covering balls by dipping them in a liquid solution of gutta-percha, dissolved in bisulphide of carbon.

For the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to understand and apply it, Iwill proceed to describe the same, referring to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

The drawing is a sectional view of an ordinary ball.

A represents the body of the ball, which may be made of any material, and B represents the cover. This cover is of gutta-percha and is without seam or break of any kind. I ordinarily use drip guttapercha; but the refined article maybe used, if preferred. The guttapercha may be dissolved in any well-known solvent; but bisulphide of carbon is preferred, as it is quite cheap and its action is perfect. The strength of the solvent is not a matter of importance. Having prepared the solution, the ball is grasped by a pair of grippers and dipped in the solution. The ball maybe dipped any number of times. The weaker the solution the more clippings are required. It is better always to dip the ball more than once. The completed cover need not be more than from one thirtysecond to one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness. It is not a matter of the slightest importance of what material the ball is made, as I have found my cover to work equally well upon all kinds of balls now in the market. In covering, the first dipping should be for some seconds, in order that the guttapercha may sink into the interstices of the ball. After the first dipping I usually let the ball stand for a few moments, in order that the gutta-percha may harden. rolled for a short time, to smooth down any irregularities on the surface. This rolling, however, is not an essential feature, and I often omit to roll them when the balls are smooth and round. After the cover has been dipped the requisite number of times-that is to say, when the deposit of gutta-percha has become sufficiently thick-the balls are allowed to stand for ten or twelve hours, when they be come sufficiently hard for use. I have usually found from three to five dippings sufficient.

Before putting them upon the market I prefer to remove the gloss by a slight rubbing with fine sand-paper. This leaves the cover slightly rough, and gives it a leathery appearance. Should any imperfections in the gutta-percha be deposited upon the ball, or should the ball be uneven after the final dipping, the irregularities may be removed by sandpaper; or, if preferred, the balls may be placed in a lathe and dressed with sand-paper, or in any other manner. After the balls are dressed down they may be dipped in a dye and given any desired color.

I have found by actual use that these covers are not affected in the slightest by any changes in the weather. They do not crack or chip, and withstand an almost unlimited amount of hard batting.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and. desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an article of manufacture, aball having a seamless cover of guttapercha.

2. A. ball having a cover of gutta-percha deposited thereon by dipping in a solution of said material.

It is then too 3. A ball having v a cover of gutta-perclaa In testimony whereof I affix my signature in deposited thereon by dipping in a solution of presence of two Witnesses.

said material and colored by dippin the 00111- pleted ball iii a dye solution. a SAMUEL CASTLE 5 4. The process of covering balls, which 0011- \Vitnesses:

sists in dipping the ball in asolution of gutta- A. M. WoosTER,

percha dissolved in bisulphide of carbon. GEORGE A. KINNER. 

